The present invention relates to electronic control circuits for strobe lights. It finds particular application in conjunction with controlling both a rate and a modulation of a strobe light and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present invention is also amenable to other like applications.
Strobe light circuits are typically used with a variety of lights for creating special effects. Such circuits are often used with standard incandescent lamps, black lamps, outdoor flood lamps, and even fluorescent lamps. For example, strobe light circuits have been incorporated into decorative lighting displays used during holidays.
Conventional strobe light circuits are designed to cause a light to alternately turn on and off (i.e., strobe) at a predetermined frequency. Some circuits even permit the rate of the predetermined frequency to be modulated by adjusting a speed control. However, once the speed control is set in a conventional strobe light circuit, the frequency of the strobe is constant. In other words, if the speed control is set to fast, the strobe circuit causes the light to strobe quickly. Similarly, if the speed control is set to slow, the strobe circuit causes the light to strobe slowly. Therefore, although conventional strobe light circuits permits the rate at which the lamp strobes to be varied, the frequency of the strobing action is constant once the rate is set. In other words, conventional strobe light circuits only permit lamps to strobe periodically.
In some situations it is desirable to cause the strobing effect to have a first frequency during a first time period, a second frequency during a second time period, a third frequency during a third time period, etc. In this manner, the overall strobing effect is aperiodic. Conventional strobe light circuits do not make it possible to strobe a lamp aperiodically (i.e., at different rates during random time intervals).
The present invention provides a new and improved apparatus which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others.